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Remington town officials voice support for new data centers in Fauquier County
Remington officials are voicing support for proposed data centers just outside the town limits and are hoping the county will share some of the tax revenue generated by the developments. Though no proposed data center projects fall within Remington town limits, town council officials are arguing this type of development “offers significant economic benefit and aligns with smart growth (principles) for both town and county residents,” Remington town administrator Racheal Brinson wrote in a June 9 letter to the Fauquier County supervisors and planning commissioners.
Virginia’s 2025 primary election: Key races to watch
The spotlight is shining especially bright on Virginia this year as it heads into primary elections on Tuesday. It is one of only two states (along with New Jersey) holding statewide elections following Donald Trump’s White House victory, and it is also the only state seen as broadly competitive. Virginia’s contests for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, along with all 100 seats in the House of Delegates, will serve as a trial run for next year’s congressional midterms and as a referendum on Trump’s policies. Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who like all Virginia governors is prohibited from serving a consecutive term, will be looking to cement his legacy by helping the GOP win.
Williams: Heavy on country, light on Black artists: Richmond’s new venue needs DEI
Sly Stone modeled a brand of diversity, equity and inclusion that would serve well as a template for Richmond’s new musical venue, Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront. Sly and the Family Stone as a band was an early model of integration — Black, white, male and female — when it arrived on the music scene in the late 1960s. One of its biggest hits, “Everyday People,” celebrated difference at a time of intense racial strife, urban unrest and political polarization ... But looking at the lineup of artists, I detected the harsh note of exclusion, and the sense that this $30 million venue was not built for folks like me.
No Chesterfield, no Richmond, no water authority
Kudos to Henrico and Hanover counties, whose boards met on Wednesday to discuss a path forward after recent meltdowns at the Richmond Water Treatment Plant left residents in parts of both counties — not to mention all of Richmond — without potable water for six days in January, and then again in late May. That two of RVA’s largest jurisdictions are on board with some kind of regional approach to address the root causes — city mismanagement of a century-old water treatment plant that’s in desperate need of modernization and repair — is significant. ... The problem? Richmond, which owns and controls the asset Henrico and Hanover want to oversee, wasn’t part of the meeting. And central Virginia’s largest jurisdiction, Chesterfield County, which has actual experience with a regional authority and more water capacity than either Henrico or Hanover, was MIA.
Organ transplant network chooses new board, drawing more criticism
The nation’s organ transplant network has elected a new board of directors in the federal government’s latest effort to reform a flawed system. For now, the Richmond-based United Network for Organ Sharing acts as the contractor that administers the network, which includes more than 300 transplant hospitals and organ procurement organizations that recover hearts, livers and kidneys from dead donors. The federal government has solicited bids from outsiders and has said it will divvy up UNOS’s work among other companies.
Roanoke rallygoers say no to Trump, kings
Roanoke joined the nationwide “No Kings” movement with two separate rallies Saturday protesting President Donald Trump’s policies. Roanoke Indivisible rallied in the morning at McCadden Park in northwest Roanoke, and a second protest organized by Roanoke resident Steve Davidson was held at Elmwood Park downtown in the afternoon. Speakers at both events urged attendees to take a stand against what they saw as overreach by Trump and his administration.
As Trump’s military parade takes to the street, so do thousands of ‘No Kings’ protesters in Hampton Roads
To Heidi Dragneff, the “No Kings” protests across Hampton Roads and the nation on Saturday weren’t really about politics. “It’s about honor,” the Navy veteran said as she was about to march through Norfolk. “It’s about what we still believe in that oath, in that flag, in that promise we made to each other and future generations.” For Angela Taylor, it was about patriotism. The 66-year-old cancer patient was one of many holding American flags at the protest in Chesapeake — she said she bought the last one in stock at a nearby Walgreens. “Because I live here and I’m going to be here,” Taylor said of why she was holding the flag. “And if anybody needs to leave, it’s him.”
Hundreds Protest At ‘No Kings’ Rallies Across Fairfax
Large crowds of protesters gathered at street corners and along roads across Fairfax County on Saturday to exercise their First Amendment right to peacefully demonstrate against the policies of President Donald Trump. The protests were part of the “No Kings” rallies nationwide organized by volunteer networks affiliated with Indivisible, WoFA and Third Act. The demonstrations were timed to coincide with a military parade commemorating the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary that falls on President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. It was also Flag Day.
One year later: A look at the Mountain Valley Pipeline
One year after the Mountain Valley Pipeline was completed, scars on the landscape along parts of its route through Southwest Virginia remain fresh. From the top of Poor Mountain in Roanoke County, a strip of bare earth can be seen cutting a swath up and down a wooded slope — marking the path of a buried pipeline that began transporting natural gas to East Coast markets on June 14, 2024. ... In its most recent construction status report, filed May 13 with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Mountain Valley said final restoration has been completed on the approximately 100 miles of pipeline that run through the New River and Roanoke valleys. But as the view from Poor Mountain attests, the restoration is far from final.
A tax break for cigarettes sparks a flood of imports
A loophole in U.S. trade law is turning into what could be a multibillion-dollar windfall for international cigarette firms with Mexican-made packs of longtime U.S. brands already flooding into the United States. An obscure 2015 tweak to an old law allows international tobacco firms to get a refund, called a drawback, of the $1.01 a pack federal excise tax, when they import cigarettes into the U.S. ... It's a big issue for Henrico County-based Altria, because the tobacco giant does not import cigarettes and does not sell cigarettes outside the United States.